Leisure & Living

A bold proposal would involve new homes, new farm buildings, stables, holiday lodges, public access trails, and a woodland craft centre.The homes would occupy the old barns and the sites of the 1960s and 1970s sheds at the farmstead. The new build ones (at least) would be the the highest current standards. Ideally they would be served by a central heat and power plant burning biomass (oats, perhaps, or wheat) grown in the fields, and surplus electricity would be sold.

Some of the houses would perhaps be for holidays. The visitors would have the chance to stay in an “eco-home” and find out how everything worked. Or they might stay in a log cabin in the wood.
The permanent occupiers of the homes would include

• the farmer
• local families (some would be offered special terms, in exchange for work and skills, but would that meet the Planners’ “Affordable Housing” criteria?) and
• a mixture of retired and work-from-home incomers.

These homes would be available on lease terms, not freehold ownership. But the residents might very well hold shares in the property as a whole. The farm, under this model, need not be broken up.
Organic food production would be a key part of the project. The land is what could make this project work. Land use would be rotated (biomass, fodder crops, hay/silage, cattle, sheep). The farming activity would no longer use the old farmyard. The site for new farm buildings has been identified. It has access and is almost invisible from outside the farm. Here there could also be an equestrian centre. Local people could keep their horses and enjoy car-free rides, whilst woodland lodges would accommodate visitors coming from further afield for riding holidays.

Trails through the farm and forest rides would be opened up. These would also be used for machinery and livestock movements, woodland management, and by the public for walking and cycling. These permissive trails would link up well with public paths and bridleways for circular car-free routes.
Water systems would be laid on in duplicate. Much could be collected from the roofs and from areas at the top of the property. This will reduce what needs to be pumped out of the ground or up from the mains in the valley.

Does this interest you?